Taking advantage of the fine weather before the Frost's Descent, people dig up sweet potatoes, unearthing these "treasures" from the ground one by one, drying and storing them to make them an important staple food for the winter.
With the sweet potatoes harvested, the work in the fields became a bit easier, and on market days, everyone could go to town to sell their sweet potatoes again.
Yu Jihong also got up early that day, put rice in the pot, and added enough firewood.
While it was still burning, they took advantage of the lull.
She went to the mirror and braided her hair.
Today she wore a floral shirt, took out two hair clips, held them in her hand and stuck them on her hair, then looked in the mirror and compared them. She thought the pink hair clip matched her clothes better.
She clipped the pink hair clip on, turned her face, and smiled at herself in the mirror.
I've had breakfast.
After Fang Sandi put the sweet potato baskets down, he lifted Fang Yu up into the gap between the two baskets and sat her there.
"Fang Yu, sit still. We're going to the market to sell sweet potatoes, and then we'll buy other things."
Fang Sandi put the rope of the cart on one shoulder, bent down and pulled the cart.
Yu Jihong followed beside her, occasionally bending down to help the swaying Fang Yu.
Fang Yu's small body bounced up and down with the car wheels, like a little sparrow just out of its nest. She held onto the sweet potato leaves and swayed back and forth, giggling as she looked at the scene by the roadside.
The road from the village to the town was lined with carts carrying baskets of sweet potatoes.
People would look at each other's sweet potatoes and talk about this year's harvest.
How's your family doing this year?
"There are fewer large ones this year, but more in quantity."
"That's good; uniformly sized pieces sell better."
The journey was quite lively.
Fang Meili also carried Fang Dongqiang and followed in the crowd.
Urged and supervised by Fang Meixiang's father, Fang Damiao kept some food for himself this year and also took a few extra baskets to town to sell.
"Meili, you and Meixiang, please get in the car with Dongqiang in your arms," Fang Damiao said as he stopped the car.
Fang Damiao's cart only had two baskets of sweet potatoes, and there was still room for them.
"I won't sit." "Sister, sit down and hug Dongqiang."
Fang Meixiang, holding onto the edge of the cart, sat on the cart, and Fang Meili handed Fang Dongqiang to her.
Fang Dongqiang, sitting in Fang Meixiang's lap, clapped his little hands happily as he saw so many people.
"Did your whole family come out today?"
Neighbors greet each other when they meet.
"Yes, the weather is nice today, so we brought Dongqiang out to play too."
Hua Mei also came with her daughter, who was going to the town's health center for a vaccination today.
Hua Mei only has the opportunity to come to town when her daughter needs to get vaccinated.
Fang Shugen's mother also came over.
Fang San Di's cart was right next to Fang Mei Xiang's and Fang Damiao's carts.
Fang Damiao and Fang Meili would glance at Yu Jihong every now and then.
Beautiful women are attractive to both men and women.
Fang Meili carried Fang Dongqiang to go shopping.
"Meili, keep an eye on your sister." "Meixiang, don't wander off, stay close to Meili." Fang Meixiang's mother anxiously reminded her.
"Okay, I understand." Fang Meili turned to Fang Meixiang and said, "You have to keep a close eye on me. I need to take Dongqiang with me and can't lose him."
Fang Meixiang nodded.
Where they were, sweet potatoes were being sold; but when they went to the other side, the scene was completely different.
The makeshift stalls made of bamboo poles were packed to the brim.
The barber's copper basin was steaming, and old men sat around it waiting for their haircuts, clutching freshly bought roasted peanuts in their hands.
Occasionally, there would be itinerant peddlers carrying bags of rat poison, reciting rhyming jingles, attracting a crowd to watch.
Fang Meixiang looked timidly at everything around her.
At a nearby stall, a vendor used sugar syrup to draw small animals on a stone slab, which could be eaten or held and played with.
Fang Meixiang stopped in front of the stall and looked at the sugar paintings that had been made and were standing in front of the stall to attract customers.
The stall owner was using a small copper spoon to hook something on the bluestone slab. With a flick of his wrist, a dragon with distinct scales and claws appeared, drawing cheers from the children watching.
Fang Meixiang looked at Fang Dongqiang, then at Fang Meili.
“Make one for Dongqiang too,” Fang Meili said.
Fang Meixiang smiled and nodded vigorously.
"What should I make? I'll make a rooster, since Dong Qiang was born in the Year of the Rooster."
Fang Meili glanced around and saw that there were no adults watching, only children, and asked the stall owner, "Master, how much is one?"
"One cent each."
"It costs one cent, it used to be five cents."
"Five cents? That was so many years ago. Now it's a dime."
"Then how about 8 cents, Master? You can make it a little smaller, just make me one for 8 cents."
"You're such a good bargainer, young lady!"
"Master, my nephew is still young, and he can't finish the big one. I'll buy one to make him happy. Could you make a smaller one for me?" Fang Meili kept bargaining with the stall owner.
"Okay, okay, I'll make one for you."
The stall owner used a copper spoon to draw a small rooster—a tiny body, a pointed beak, and a tail with feathers spread out, making it lifelike.
Fang Meixiang took the sugar painting and placed it near Fang Dongqiang's mouth. The little guy stuck out his tongue and licked it, his eyes squinting from the sweetness.
Fang Meixiang smiled as she looked at Fang Dongqiang. In that moment of focused attention, she looked no different from any other mother.
Fang Shugen parked the cart.
"Mom, should you go with Huahua to get her vaccinations, or should I go?"
"You guys go ahead, I'll sell here."
Fang Shugen carried Huahua ahead, while Huamei followed behind, clutching a blue cloth bag containing diapers.
The entrance to the health center was crowded with people who had come to the market and brought their children to get vaccinated. When Hua Mei followed Fang Shugen into the room, she didn't forget to raise her hand to block the carrying pole that might brush against Hua Hua.
When the doctor took out the syringe, Hua Hua suddenly pouted and looked like she was about to cry.
Hua Mei lunged forward, making a protective "woof woof" sound in her throat, her fingers nervously gripping the hem of Fang Shugen's clothes.
Fang Shugen gently comforted her, "It's okay, Huahua won't be sick after the injection."
She seemed to understand, but she didn't move again. She simply reached out and gently touched her daughter's little face.
The moment the needle touched Huahua's arm, Huamei clearly cried out, "Gently...gently..."
Hua Hua burst into tears, and Hua Mei's tears followed.
After the injection was finished, the doctor put a white sugar pill into Hua Hua's mouth.
The little one, with candy in his mouth, gradually turned his crying into sobs.
Hua Mei carefully reached out and gently wiped away the tears on her daughter's cheeks with her rough fingertips, her movements as light as if she were afraid of breaking something.
After getting the injection, I went to the sweet potato stall after leaving the health center.
The aroma of savory, oily wontons wafted over, and Hua Mei couldn't help but swallow.
"When the sweet potatoes are sold out, let's have a bowl of wontons," Fang Shugen said.
“Yes,” Hua Mei nodded with a smile.
Fang Shugen's mother has already sold half of the sweet potatoes.
Hua Mei sat beside the crowd, holding her daughter, watching people come and go, haggling over prices.
By noon, the sweet potatoes in the basket were almost gone.
Fang Sandi's hands were covered in mud as he counted the money, but his fingertips neatly twisted a few small bills and stuffed them into Yu Jihong's hand. "Go, see if there's anything you want to buy."
Yu Jihong took the money and happily carried Fang Yu to the store on the south street.
The shop displayed rows of face creams in glass bottles, labeled with the Red Peony logo. She stared at them for a long time when she came last time.
And the hair clips in the wooden box were sparkling, like stars glistening with dew.
Small floral print, fine striped khaki fabric, nylon stockings...
Yu Jihong took her daughter and went to see all the places.
Back at the sweet potato stall, Fang Sandi had already sold out and was putting away the scales.
Yu Jihong was clutching a small paper package in her hand.
Inside was a box of face cream and a box of clam oil inside a seashell.
She stuffed the clam oil into Fang San Di's arms, saying, "Your hands are cracked from working, this will help."
Fang Sandi was stunned for a moment, then chuckled foolishly, "I'm a rough guy, I've never used these things before."
Fang Shugen lifted the basket, turned it upside down, and shook the soil off the bottom of the basket into the corner.
"Mom, let's go get some wontons later."
Fang Shugen's mother's face fell. "If all three of us go to eat, how much will it cost? I cooked some sweet potatoes and brought them over. We'll eat a few to tide us over before going home to cook dinner."
She took the bag tied to the cart and gave a sweet potato to Hua Mei, who was sitting next to her holding her daughter.
"Hua Mei," Fang Shugen called out to her.
Hua Mei took the sweet potato and looked up at Fang Shugen.
Fang Shugen's lips twitched slightly. "Since Mother has already brought sweet potatoes, let's eat the sweet potatoes first."
"Mmm." Hua Mei held her daughter in one arm and a sweet potato in the other. She gently took a small bite and used her teeth to peel off the sweet potato skin piece by piece.
With the help of Meixiang's mother, Fang Damiao also sold out of sweet potatoes.
Fang Damiao took out the money from his pocket, straightened it, and then stuffed it back into his pocket.
I walked toward the stall selling braised pig's head.
"The money from selling sweet potatoes hasn't even warmed my hands yet, and it's already going into my mouth," Fang Meixiang's mother muttered. "One bite, and all the work I've done for days is for nothing."
“Exactly. People in the village who make more money selling sweet potatoes than him wouldn’t eat like this.” Fang Meili frowned. “They don’t even know to save some money for their wives and children.”
Fang Damiao came over, swaying as he carried a piece of pig's head meat.
"Dad, Mom, Meili, come and try it, it's still warm." He opened the oil paper wrapping the pig's head meat.
"We don't want any. We made some pancakes this morning and brought them with us."
"Da Miao, you should save some money for the kids, so you can have it if there's an unexpected expense."
“Hey, hehe,” Fang Damiao scratched the back of his head, “Meixiang is breastfeeding, let’s buy some for her to eat, so that her milk will be more nutritious.”
On the way home, the empty baskets on the carts contained farm tools that had been brought for repair, as well as fertilizers and pesticides that had been purchased.
It has household necessities such as salt, soy sauce, and matches.
When neighbors bump into each other, they'll occasionally ask, "How much did you sell for today?"
The children I brought had been outside all day and were all asleep.
Fang Meixiang held Fang Dongqiang as they sat on a cart, and Fang Damiao pulled them home.
Yu Jihong held Fang Yu as they sat on the cart, and Fang's third brother pulled them back.
"Hua Mei, you've been carrying me all morning, I'll carry you on the way back."
Fang Shugen's mother picked up Fang Huahua and wanted her to sit on the cart.
“Mother, Hua Mei didn’t come. She might be pregnant,” Fang Shugen said, holding the handlebars.
"Did she have that thing after giving birth to Huahua?" Fang Shugen's mother hurriedly asked, leaning close to him.
"I came once, but I haven't come back since."
"Okay, Hua Mei, please go upstairs and sit down."
Hua Mei was still hesitating to go up.
“Both of you sit down,” Fang Shugen said.
“It’s not right for two people to sit on it and pull you up, it’ll be too much for you. I’m fine, I can walk by myself.” Fang Shugen’s mother turned to Hua Mei and said, “I told you to sit, so just get on.”
Fang Shugen laid a burlap sack over the tree roots.
Hua Mei carefully stepped onto the cart and sat down.
"You can't tell anyone about Hua Mei's matter. I have my own plans," Fang Shugen's mother whispered in his ear.
"Oh, what are your plans?"
"I'll let you know once everything is arranged."
So, Hua Mei was also sitting on Fang Shugen's cart, holding her daughter.
When Fang Shugen's mother saw the neighbors, she took the initiative to greet them, just to remind them that in their family, the daughter-in-law sat on the back while she walked.
The sound of the cart wheels rolling over the gravel road was like humming a lukewarm song.
On the way back, everyone was tired but satisfied.
After this busy farming season, we need to hurry and plow the fields before the soil freezes to prepare for winter crops.
Everyone still went to the fields after eating, but not as rushed as during the busy farming season.
On an autumn afternoon, Yu Jihong took her daughter to work in the fields.
Fang Yu played by herself on the side.
Yu Jihong would occasionally glance at her daughter while working in the fields.
Along the path by the field, the wind whipped up the fallen leaves, which swirled and rose into the air, forming a small vortex.
Yu Jihong stood by and watched for a while, then suddenly came over, grabbed her daughter's hand, and ran over with a smile, stepping on the crisp leaves as they rushed into the swirling air currents.
She spread her arms and spun around with her daughter, following the rhythm of the falling leaves, drawing golden arcs in the sunlight along with the withered leaves on the ground.
The more I spun around, the happier I became, laughing and giggling with my daughter.
People working nearby looked over and said, "Seriously, he even brought his daughter along on this crazy adventure."
She was the only one in the village who could be so free and unrestrained, without caring about what others thought.
The wind stopped, and she stopped too.
I bent down, picked up a leaf rolled into a tube, held it up to my eyes, and looked up at the sky through the middle of the tube.
In a faraway place, there lies a dream hidden deep in her heart...
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